Attracting Wild Birds
Inviting birds to your back yard is easy. Usually, a good way to invite them over is by planting the edges of the yard with ornamental plants that bear food. Examples of these plants are those that bear cones, berries, etc. Also, it creates protected nesting places which will allow these birds to settle in comfortably.
Having trees in your backyard such as spruce and pine will provide these birds with protection from weather that is harsh. An area that is sunny and open will make the area more inviting and enticing enough to attract many varieties of birds. Robins will most probably peck around for grubs and worms in and around the lawn, in turn, these birds will surprise you with a gift of a nightingale type song during sunset.
Having available water around is necessary too. A stone that is indented that would hold water would do fine. Serious bird lovers will really go out of their way to micromanage their yard to attract various bird species. Special environmental conditions such as placing willow trees in the area will especially inviting and attract warblers, orioles and catbirds.
Thicket brambles have the ability to protect the nests of song birds from various animals such as crows and raccoons which steal bird eggs. Also, a tall field made up of wild flowers and weeds has the ability to attract grouse, quail, and pheasants. It is advisable not to mow until late in August, just after the nesting ground birds have all gone.
Birds that are fond of eating seeds are cardinals, goldfinches, sparrows and juncos.
One way of attracting birds is by having old large trees around. Believe it or not, these trees are able to provide protection to seeds and allow birds to have something to perch on and even nest in its holes. Hardwoods that are mature such as mountain ash, wild cherry as well as birch have insects underneath their bark so they attract woodpeckers.
Planting softwoods such as pine, cedar and spruce is also advisable. These provide birds with a comfortable place to nest and hide themselves throughout the entire year. Their cones also provide birds with food during the winter months – from September until May.
Deciding the best place to place small flowering plants, shrubs and beautiful trees such as crabapples, hawthorne, dogwood, mountain ash is important. These should be placed in areas that can be seen from the windows of your house.
All in all, planting different varieties is always best as fruits of these individual plants have the ability to mature at different times; assuring birds a continuous supply of food and assuring you with minimum worry of having to replenish food.
Another way to attract birds is by making a bird house. The common misconception is that bird abodes should be placed in a position that is fixed and away from prevailing and strong winds in order to prevent nature’s rain from blowing in. In reality, the direction of the bird house must point towards the east since much of the bad weather in the area usually originates in the west.
Usually birds prefer their houses to hang from the limb of a tree. The reason for this is that they are a lot safer from the predators compared to a bird house which is made to stand in a fixed position. Bird houses should, as much as possible, be placed about six to ten feet above the ground. The home entrance of the bird house must measure (in diameter) one and one eighth inch and about seven inches from the floor. It would be best if you leave dead trees to attract a lot of wrens as well as those other bird species who find nesting in cavities enjoyable.
All in all, attracting wild birds is easy as long as you have the patience and desire to exert that extra effort to make birds as comfortable as they could be.
Tags: attracting birds, bird lovers, Bird Watching